Matthew 1:18-25
Chances are most folks don’t study a lot of theology just because it’s Christmas, but we certainly do more singing. Flip on the radio or go in any department store in December and you’re bound to hear a tune about Mary, angels, and a baby in a trough.
Consider these lyrics from an all-time favorite carol –
Christ by highest heav'n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! the herald angels sing
“Glory to the newborn king!”
Whether we’ve realized it or not, familiar jingles like this one are built around the central fact of Christianity, that Jesus Christ is God. The divinity of Jesus is the reality of the virgin birth.
The word “birth” in Matthew 1:18 is the same Greek word for “genealogy” in Matthew 1:1. Matthew 1:1-17 presents Jesus’ lineage from the human side; verses 18-25 is the divine side. In the first part Jesus is the human Son of David; in the second He is the divine Son of God. Jesus’ mother is Mary in the former; Christ’s Father is God in the later. Seventeen verses attest to Jesus’ humanity, but only one verse declares Christ’s royal divinity (Matthew 1:18).
No intelligent Jew ever refuted Jesus’ claim to David’s throne (Matthew 22:41-42). Rather, it was His claim to God’s seat that eventually got Him killed. Not surprisingly then, Christ’s virgin birth has been a point of dispute throughout all generations since.
The heart of the gospel is that God became man to die as man. Unless Jesus embodied both perfect humanity and divinity, He cannot be the one to “save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
Reflect:
What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?